08 November 2010

Broad Ripple Brewpub: Cheers!

On Sunday, November 14th, Broad Ripple Brewpub will be celebrating their 20th Anniversary. While there are other craft breweries and brewpubs in America that are older, in Indiana, BRBP was blazing trails. And we at Hoosier Beer Geek want to lift a toast to owners John and Nancy Hill, to brewmaster Kevin Matalucci, to manager Billy Hannon, and everybody at Broad Ripple Brewpub. After 20 years, you still continue to amaze Hoosier Beer Geek and all Hoosier beer geeks.

Here are some highlights of the visits that the Knights of the Beer Roundtable have made to BRBP over the years:

KOTBR #11 – Wee Alec Heavy AleJanuary 12, 2007

Wee Alec is a very dark, virtually opaque beer (think Optimator - and now you can probably guess where my review is going). If you don't like dark beer - and I love it - this beer probably isn't for you.

While the nose isn't strong and overpowering, I could definitely discern hints of chocolate, coffee, and caramel. But the smells blend well together.

As with cask ales, the Wee Alec has very little carbonation. Kevin explained most of his beers are that way, and people think its an error. But as Kevin likes to point out, the brewmaster gets to make beers that the brewmaster likes, and in this case, the brewmaster doesn't like much carbonation.

This was a very smooth, medium-bodied beer. There isn't much of a bite, and I didn't think much of an aftertaste was left, either. The caramel and heavy malt flavors blend very well together, producing a well-balanced beer.

Broad Ripple Brewpub is a place we tend to take for granted but shouldn't. Case in point: the Brewpub's Monon Porter is undoubtedly one of the best beers we've reviewed. It is so good, in fact, that I had to make a return visit with my wife three days after our review just to get some more (along with some of the Brewpub's excellent vegetarian offerings--I had the delicious garden tacos). The Monon Porter has a luscious, creamy mouthfeel. The creaminess is enhanced by its low carbonation, thanks to the fact that it's a cask ale. And how to describe the flavor? Well, if there were a way to make a milk chocolate cookie, I imagine that it would taste like the Monon Porter. Heavenly...

The 2009 Knights of the Beer Roundtable Beer of the Year - Broad Ripple Brewpub's Monon PorterJan. 12, 2010

To arrive at our candidates for the 2009 Knights of the Beer Roundtable Beer of the Year, we took a look back at all the beers reviewed during our roundtables over the past year. In some cases, not all the Knights attended, but their familiarity with a reviewed beer allowed them to place it in their rankings.

This isn't science; this is Hoosier Beer Geek. And it's possible that we may have decided that we like a beer more or less since the roundtable has happened. In any case, looking back, we've decided that these beers left us with the fondest of memories.

As you probably know, we're great admirers of the Broad Ripple Brewpub's award-winning beer auteur, Kevin Matalucci. Therefore, as a tribute to Kevin and all that the BRBP has to offer, we present to you Kevin's latest cinematic masterpiece: "2001: A Stout Odyssey."

KOTBR #90 - Medal Winners - We visit Barley Island and Brugge Brasserie in Broad Ripple to try some medal winning beers. Things get interesting when we are joined by some special guests, including Michael Phelps, Rob Halford, Glenn Danzig, and Brugge's very own Ted Miller.

Beer: The Pedal Pusher's Potion - Our first in depth feature receives support from Dogfish Head, Left Hand, Breckenridge Brewery, and Smuttynose, and draws in hits from hundreds of cyclists looking for a beer buzz.